RACE TASMANIA FRIDAY WRAP
An eventful opening day at Race Tasmania has concluded with all three Australian Racing Group categories S5000, TCR Australia and Trans Am completing two practice sessions.
James Golding set the fastest ever S5000 lap at Symmons Plains – Image: InSyde Media
S5000
All three national categories commence their 2022 titles at the Symmons Plains Raceway, where in S5000 it was Garry Rogers Motorsport driver James Golding who was fastest.
The former Supercars Championship driver was fastest in both sessions setting a 48.44s time in practice 1 and then bettered that, with a 48.39s lap in the final session the fastest lap recorded by an S5000 at the venue.
Reigning S5000 champion Joey Mawson was second fastest on the opening day 0.21s behind Golding.
Impressively with his new team Versa Motorsport Cooper Webster ended up only a further 0.1s back from Mawson, and ahead of former Gold Star winner Tim Macrow.
The two 88Racing cars ended the day fifth and sixth, with Blake Purdie leading home Super2 Series driver and S5000 rookie Josh Fife.
Former S5000 race winner, New Zealander Kaleb Ngatoa ended the day in seventh ahead of home state hero Adam Garwood.
The only notable difference in practice 2 was the absence of Tim Slade, the current Supercars Championship driver failed to make it for the second session with a fuel pump issue.
He was second in practice 1 and this time was good enough to see him end the day in second on the combined times.
Turn 6 was the action corner in S5000 Garwood, Ngatoa and Fife all had off track excursions in p1, while Mawson, Macrow and Fife once again toured the grass at the same corner in the following session.
Mawson’s opening session came to a slightly premature end when he came to a stop on the back straight.
Zac Soutar was fastest on Friday in TCR Australia – Image: InSyde Media
TCR Australia
In TCR Australia Zac Soutar in his own Honda Civic Type R who ended the day with the fastest time.
His 55.45s time just eclipsed former Supercars full-timer James Moffat by just 0.028s.
Moffat’s Renault Megane teammate crashed in the opening session and is out for the weekend, leaving Moffat as the sole Renault driver.
TCR frontrunner Dylan O’Keeffe switched from GRM run Renault to the Peugeot in the off season and ended up only 0.01s from Moffat.
Thirteen-time Supercars Championship race winner Fabian Coulthard ended the day in fourth fastest overall, incredibly only 0.047s off his Honda brand mate Soutar at the top of the timesheets.
Current Supercars driver Will Brown returns to the TCR series and ended the day with the fifth fastest time, he was fastest on return in practice 1.
Front-wheel drove expert Jordan Cox, Nathan Morcom and Tony D’Alberto was next.
Two Hyundais rounded out the top 10, Josh Buchan and rookie Bailey Sweeny.
In the opening session Brown was fastest from fellow Audi driver McAdam, Moffat and Jay Hanson in the new Audi RS3.
D’Alberto and Lachlan Mineeff had off track excursions at Turn 6, while Sweeny drippled off at Turn 2.
Team 18 Supercars driver Michael Caruso suffered power steering dramas in the second session and completed only six laps.
Reigning Trans Am Series winner Nathan Herne was fastest overall in Tasmania – Image: InSyde Media
Trans Am
The National Trans Am field was tight, reigning series winner Nathan Herne was fastest in the opening session, despite only ending practice 2 in fourth, he was fastest overall.
His teammate Owen Kelly was fastest in practice 2, 0.023s faster than former Toyota 86 Rcaing front runner Tim Brook.
Brett Holdsworth was next ahead of Herne and Kyle Gurton.
Two second generation drivers ended the day just outside the top five, Nash Morris in sixth ahead of Ben Grice.
Lochie Dalton, former Super3 Series driver Nic Carroll and former V8 Ute Series frontrunner Elliot Barbour rounded out a competitive 2022 Trans Am field.
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